Pro Bowl Q & A: Kyle Williams

buffalobills.com caught up with Pro Bowl DT Kyle Williams before the NFL's annual all-star game in Hawaii.

Buffalobills.com: Aloha, Kyle! How is Hawaii treating you?Kyle Williams: We’ve had a great week, me and my family. And I’ll tell you what else is great – having Jairus Byrd and Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus out here, it kind of validates the year. Those guys had great years and we get to enjoy each other for an extra week.

BB: After making your third Pro Bowl, do you ever reflect on the highlights of your career, from an individual standpoint?KW: I’m out here running around with my kids, and I honestly haven’t given it much thought. To get the chance to come out here and play and be around the top guys in the league is always an honor.

I never really reflect that much – I’m always concerned with what I need to do to get better, or what I could do better that I didn’t do so well. I think maybe when I’m on my rocking chair after my career is over I might be able to reflect then. But now I’ve got too much on my mind.”

BB: Why is making the Pro Bowl important to you?KW: I think the main thing, what’s really important to me, is being out here and representing everything I feel like I represent. It means a lot to me to represent the city of Buffalo, the Buffalo Bills organization, my family, my hometown of Ruston, Louisiana, and LSU. A major part of my life has been to represent them in the right way and shed a positive light on all those places. This is another opportunity to do that.

BB: How much time have you spent with your Bills teammates?KW: We’re a pretty tight knight group, especially the three of us on the defensive line [Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus]. We’re out here cutting up having a good time together. It’s a sweet deal having all those guys out here.

BB: What was the Pro Bowl draft like for you?KW: They drafted interior lineman on the offense and defense the night before the real draft. We didn’t have to wait in the green room, which was great, because we’d have been the last ones there. I was just excited because I know there’s only like 82 guys here and I know that even if I had been the 82nd pick it would have been way higher than I ever got drafted before. I was excited about that.

BB: Who are some of the other player from around the league that you enjoy being around?KW: There’s a lot of guys out here that I’m familiar with that have been around before – Peyton Manning is always fun to be around. There are a lot of first-time guys this year that you also have the opportunity to visit with and pick their brain. It’s really fun to be around all the guys. We talk as little football as possible and just hang out and have a good time.”

BB: What do you think of the new “Unconferenced” format?KW: It’s a little bit different. It’s definitely made things more chippy leading up to the game, but we’ll see how it all plays out. You’ve got guys getting drafted before other guys, and guys from the same team playing on opposite sides. That will always bring a little out a little more competitiveness. There’s a lot of elements that we’re looking at headed into Sunday that I think will make it fun.

BB: How might players react to playing against a Pro Bowl opponent who plays on their real team?KW: I think you’ll see guys trying to get after it even more with guys on their own team. I’ve actually tried to work out a deal where I could play a little tight end or offensive tackle and go out there and wear Mario [Williams] out. We’re going to see a lot of fun things on Sunday I think.

BB: What’s the mood like when you play in the Pro Bowl?KW: It’s all in fun – we’re trying to do the right thing by the game but we’re also trying to protect ourselves. You’ve got guys out here that are going into free agent years who are trying to protect themselves, but also trying to keep the credibility of the game in line. There’s a delicate balance that we’re trying to keep going. This is really important to the NFL, the Hawaiian community, and all of the players, so it’s something we need to be conscious of and keep the game alive. It’s not just for us now, but on down the line.